Page 49 of Crazy Rich Monsters (Necessary Evils 1)

The content on one of the discs I stole from the Calloway patriarch’s office is my latest obsession. I’m trying to make sense of what is on the disc, but no matter how many times I watch the surveillance videos, I come up empty handed.

There’s a knock on the hotel door. There’s not enough weight behind the knocking, almost sounds more like a gentle tap, so I know that it’s not the police bringing my mother back from an unruly binge at the bar. More importantly, I know that it’s not the police here to arrest me for my recent confession to Nick.

As for Mother, yeah, she relapsed. Hard. I came home from the pharmacy to find that she was gone without a trace. Either aliens abducted her, or she hitched a ride into town with the methed-out prostitute that’s been staying next door for the past two nights. I’ve been too busy to bother to care.

Another knock. I slide the laptop onto the nightstand and make my way to the window beside the door. I pull back the yellowed curtain and take a peek. Nick stands at the doorway, dressed in dark jeans and a black tee. He looks like he’s on his way to a memorial service for the late James Dean.

With a heavy sigh, I unlatch the deadbolt and swing open the door. “How in the hell did you find me?”

He scratches at the back of his head as a shit-eating grin threatens to overtake the corner of his mouth. “I thought about coming up with a lie, but I came up empty. The truth is that I saw you in town a few days ago and followed you back here.”

“Never change, Nick.” I gesture for him to come in. “Welcome to my humble abode. It’s not quite a home, but your sister burned the last one to the ground.” I probably could have left out that last part, but I’m feeling a little feisty these days. It’s easier to be snarky than to embark on another journey of revenge. “Looking back, I understand what the whole charity fiasco was about during your parents’ ball. Even when you wanted to throw me into the flames and watch me burn alive, you still tried to make amends for what Emily did. You’re not the worst man in the world, I hope you know that.”

He spins to face me as I close the door. He’s not as confident and overbearing as he usually is, isn’t quite up in my face, breathing down my neck. It’s a refreshing change of pace. He’s more demure, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Did you confront Emily?”

“Have you heard anything from her? Because if I hunted her down like I initially wanted to, I think you would have gotten a phone call by now.”

“She’s not exactly talking to me or the rest of the family for that matter.”

“I’m in the same boat, but I’ve decided that she doesn’t need to know that I know. It wouldn’t change anything. No matter what she does to me, I can’t ever hate her for it. I am a little surprised that you don’t seem to have the desire to verify my story with her.”

“If she wanted me to know the truth, she would have told me. I still don’t quite understand it.” He drags his palms over his face, drawing attention to his tired eyes. He hasn’t been sleeping. “To be honest, I’m just trying not to think about it that much. It’s heartbreaking to know that your own flesh and blood could be that monstrous. I know I’m no saint, but that’s some dark shit. I came here to tell you that I don’t blame you for what happened that day.”

“Thank you, Prince Charming,” I say deadpan. “That means the world to me.”

“You don’t need to be an asshole about it.” He sighs as he drops down onto the bed. “Look, I didn’t come here to fight with you.”

“I suppose I’ve just become combative out of habit.” I take a seat beside him. The bed gives way, the old mattress sinking underneath our combined weight. “While you’re making yourself comfortable in my humble abode, can I get you anything to drink?”

“The only thing I’m in the mood to drink these days is bleach.”

He drops a hand to my thigh. I don’t attempt to brush his hand away like I normally would. It’s different. He’s different. He’s softer than he’s ever been, and I can’t differentiate between the real Nick and the Nick that’s always putting on a show.

“Did you ever figure out what was on those discs?”

“I decided it was better to not know, so I threw them into the dumpster. If you’ve been stalking me enough, you probably even saw me do it.”

I’m lying again. It’s a bad habit that’s impossible to break.

He nods. Whether or not he believes me is irrelevant. To be fair, he’s lost elsewhere. I don’t think he knows which way is up and which way is down at this point. I’ve been in his shoes before, walking the world as if it doesn’t exist. The whole plane of existence goes quiet to the point you can swear you can hear the fabric of time and space tearing at the seams. Nothing feels real. Emotions are weightless, crying is fruitless and a distant memory of a time when we were built as anything but machines. The weight of the wind can threaten to push your body to the ground but somehow, it still feels like nothing more than a soft caress.

“How have you been?”

His inquiry slices through the silence.

“Don’t do that,” I scoff lowly. “Don’t pretend that we’re friends with benefits or something.”

“I would never think such a thing. I don’t open up to people, but I’m going to open up to you. I’ve been lonely these past few weeks. Left to my own devices, I’ve been replaying everything in my head. I don’t sleep anymore.”

“Is that why you’re here? Did you swing by just so you didn’t feel so alone?”

“What would you say if I said that I missed this?”

“I’d wager that you’re actually insane. We are two terrible people who are even worse people when we are around each other.”

I look ahead and catch my own reflection in the mirror across from the bed. It’s oversized and from my vantage point, I can see everything in the room. I notice that I forgot to close the lid to the laptop and the video continues to play. Nick’s too lost in the abyss to even notice. And then his eyes are on me, watching me the same way I’m watching him.

“It beats being alone,” he whispers and it’s so fucking low that the only way I’m able to be sure what he’s saying is by reading his lips in the mirror.

---